This Season, I was moving in on a bull in his bed late morning, checking the wind intermittently. Checking the wind I had a steady uphill breeze, so I was pretty confident the wind/thermals had finished switching around. I was wrong!
I was trying to sidehill down to the bull\'s level...and I midjudged and came out straight over him about 100 yards. He let out an agitated bugle, and I heard limbs break. Checked the wind...it had completely turned a 180 and was blowing straight down to him! :ill:
The rest of the day, the wind would completely shift unpredictably, and didn\'t become steady again until way late in the evening. I had hunted this drainage many times before in the past, and never seen the wind so crazy before.
In that situation, I feel you are fighting a losing battle, and just blowing out elk all over the mountain. Personally, I just lay low until the wind becomes steady again.
I have only one very simple rule: Don\'t hunt when the wind gets iffy.
I know this is quite different than most guys but I back out every morning around 7:30-8:30 depending on the wind currents and I don\'t move in on evening hunts until quite late in the day. I always know where the elk are or will be bedded and this strategy leads to relaxed elk feeding/bedding in the same places day after day. If the situation isn\'t right, I wait. I am also blessed to have 20+ days to hunt each September
In that situation, I feel you are fighting a losing battle, and just blowing out elk all over the mountain. Personally, I just lay low until the wind becomes steady again.
I have only one very simple rule: Don\'t hunt when the wind gets iffy.
I know this is quite different than most guys but I back out every morning around 7:30-8:30 depending on the wind currents and I don\'t move in on evening hunts until quite late in the day. I always know where the elk are or will be bedded and this strategy leads to relaxed elk feeding/bedding in the same places day after day. If the situation isn\'t right, I wait. I am also blessed to have 20+ days to hunt each September
This is something I had to learn the hard way. I have heard it from other hunters but ignored it a couple times and it cost me.
Having more time for the hunt will allow you to be more patient. I think learning from mistakes is part of hunting and I will continue to push the envelope. There are areas that I hunt that DO NOT follow your typical mountain thermals. Gusting and swirling winds at the headwaters of large basin seem to be the most difficult for me to understand.
